I’m back! I know it has been a long time since I last wrote. I needed to take a break from posting to focus on finishing up the school year. There were some weeks that only consisted of me studying or writing papers and spending hours in the library. Those weeks would not have made great blog posts as they would have only been a sentence long. So, instead, I decided to compile all of the major events that happened over the course of my absence into one longer post.
On April 21st-23rd, I took a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland with the rest of the students participating in the same study abroad program. We left London by train very early that morning. The ride, though long, was beautiful. The train rolled through fields filled entirely with golden-yellow flowers, herds of sheep, and quaint villages ideal for a Jane Austen novel. When touring the UK, there is no better way to travel than by train.
Because of our early start, we had most of the day to enjoy the city. We went on a walking tour to see the most we could in the short amount of time we had. We were taken through cobblestone streets to places such as the Cathedral, the edge of the castle’s grounds, and the famous graveyard. Before the tour, I had no knowledge about the history of Edinburgh. In contrast to what I would have assumed, Edinburgh had a terribly bloody history full of cruel torture and miserable people. What once used to be one of the worst cities to live in is now one of the most beautiful. Additionally, as a huge Harry Potter fan I was exited to find out that J.K. Rowling not only lives there, but also took inspiration from the city itself; including names from the city’s cemetery. The next day, we explored the exhibits at the Royal Museum of Scotland. The museum has a human-sized hamster wheel that produces electricity for the building when visitors run on it. I gave it a try and found that hamsters make it look much easier than it actually is. The museum also has a large collection of dinosaur bones, the first clone (a sheep named Dolly), an intricate handmade clock, mummies, the original Guillotine used even before the French Revolution. I love visiting museums, but it always feels eerie when I stand in front of objects with so much history revolving around death.
After the museum, I went to a restaurant that served us three courses inspired by traditional Scottish food. It was one of the best meals I have had while abroad. After lunch, I met back up with the rest of the group and walked to the castle. The castle sits above the city since it was built on an old volcano. In the castle, I decided to do a self-guided tour rather than with a guide so I would be able to take my time and have a more personal interaction with the history. The view over the walls was breathtaking. You can see all of Edinburgh; from the distant mountains to the sea. We were all given free time after we finished at the castle. A group of us decided to walk to Arthur’s Seat; another old volcano on the outskirts of the city, towering even higher above Edinburgh than the castle. We were told that we should take the easy path that would get us to the top in around 30 minutes. However, once we started our hike, we quickly realized that we had accidentally taken the much harder path. As it was too late to turn back, we pushed through and laughed about it. We finally made it to the top, out of breath and a bit winded, but were immediately revived by the sheer beauty of the landscape around us. There is a perfect view in every direction. None of us wanted to leave. Even though it took us nearly four times as long to hike it, standing so high above a gorgeous city by the sea under an endless sky was worth every step. We left Scotland the next day with amazing memories and some new friends.
About a week later, my friend and I finally went to the market on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. This was another thing I had been wanting to check off of my list of things to do while in London. There were booths and shops set up on both sides of the street for what felt like miles. Vendors sold antiques of all kinds, prints, paintings, food, crafts, and so much more. Luckily I was able to refrain from buying everything I saw. The one purchase I did make was well worth it. We found a local tea company that makes their own blends named after different parts of London. The blend I fell in love with is called Regents Park. I am saving it for when I am back in the States feeling homesick for London.
At the beginning of May, a few days before my first exam, I was able to get last-minute tickets to see the musical Carousel. Rogers and Hammerstein, the composing-writing team who created Carousel, among many other of my favorites (Oklahoma!, Sound of Music, The King and I, etc.) are special to me. Their musicals have a different style and feel than modern musicals. Their creations have heart, a quick wit, and thought-provoking plots in abundance. Hearing their music and lyrics fills me with nostalgia and comfort. Seeing Carousel was just what I needed to decompress after studying for days on end. After my first exam, I had ten days before I had my next one. In this time, I completely immersed myself in studying. Similarly as with my last one, I needed to decompress a few days before to prevent myself from getting too overwhelmed so I went to the Harry Potter in Concert series at the Royal Albert Hall. This performance consisted of a theater-sized movie screen playing Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone while a full orchestra played in front. They removed all of the music from the movie, leaving only dialogue and sound effects, while the orchestra performed the soundtrack live. It had me entranced for the entirety; from opening to closing credits. This was one of the most amazing experiences I have had the pleasure of being a part of. I am now convinced that all movie-epics should be seen in this format. The conductor was professional yet comedic. He encouraged the audience to interact with the film; cheer for a favorite, boo for the opposite, laugh freely. The crowd and I immediately experienced a sense of camaraderie with one another.
For the next week, I went back into study mode until this last Thursday when I officially finished my Junior year at University. As a treat, I booked a short weekend trip to Manchester, England. I was able to purchase very affordable tickets to a Premier League football (soccer) match. On Saturday night, the night before the match, I made friends with a couple people from my hostel. They too had tickets so we decided to travel to the stadium together. The stadium was packed with 75,000 people all passionate about one team or the other. As I was in Manchester, I donned my red sweater and cheered for Manchester United. They ended up winning 2-0 and I would like to think that my cheering helped with that a bit. As much fun as I had this weekend, I have come to realize that London is home to me. When I am away, I miss it and cannot wait to return. I have had the most amazing time here and plan to take every advantage of my time left.
Ta ta
~Kaitlin
Kaitlin's Space 
Yea your writing again
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